Oil manifold warmer



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mm Q Q .lllrlllll'l-Il C. T. FREED OIL MANIFOLD WARNER Nov. 21, 1950 Filed Aug. 10, 1949 R va;

Clarence T Freed JNVENTOR. (2015.

Amrnr s hm xuturw M Qm N 1950 c. T. FREED 2,530,457

011. MANIFOLD WARMER Filed Aug. 10, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2.

Clarence T. Freed INVENTOR.

BY 2km (may 12% Patented Nov. 2 1, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OIL MANIFOLD WARMER Clarence T. Freed, Eldora, Iowa Application August 10, 1949, Serial No. 109,513

4 Claims.

This invention relates to novel and useful improvements in attachments for vehicles.

An object of this invention is to warm the manifold and the crankcase oil of a vehicle prior to the starting of the vehicle, particularly in cold climates where it is to great advantage to warm these two elements of a conventional engine in that quicker starting (by heating of the manifold) is obtained and in that better lubrication of the lower cylinder walls, connecting rod bearings and main bearings is achieved by heating the oil prior to starter operation of the engine.

Another object of this invention is to render it impossible to start the engine while the Various heaters for the manifold and the crankcase are operative by means of a switch arrangement which is responsive to the heat of the crankcase oil drained from the lowermost part of the crankcase.

Other objects and features of novelty will become apparent in following the description of the preferred form of the invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a fragmentary portion of a vehicle showing the conventional engine therein, together with a suggested arrangement of the components with relationshi to the engine.

Figure 2 is a schematic wiring diagram of various electrical units used in connection with and forming apart of the invention;

Figure 3 is a sectional detail of construction taken on the line 33 of Figure l and in the directionof the arrows; and

Figure 4 is a sectional detail of construction which includes a thermostat together with a sectional view of one form of heater which may be employed for heating the oil of the crankcase.

For illustrative purposes, a vehicle engine, generally indicated at It], is illustrated and is of conventional description including the manifold l2 together with a source of current such as the battery 14 and crankcase IS. The dash 18 of the vehicle is illustrated as being disposed behind the windshield 20.

Following the wiring diagram of Figure 2, the operation of the invention will be discussed in detail at this time. Starting at the battery [4, the line 22 has the ignition switch 24 interposed therein, the line 22 terminating in one contact 26 of the thermostatically operative switch generally indicated at 28. The solenoid 30 for the starter motor 32 has a line 34 extending therefrom terminating in a contact 36 of the said switch 28. A line 40 is operatively connected with 2 the said line 22 and terminates in a contact 42 of the said switch 28. The starter button type switch 44 is interposed in the line 40. The final contact 45 of the said switch 23 has a line 48 extending therefrom and terminating in one side of the inverted converter or inverter 50. A hot line 52 extends from the electrical conductor 22 and terminates in the switch which is generally indicated at 54 and which is operated by the solenoid 30. It is the line 52 which feeds current to the line 56 for energizing the starter motor 32.

When the thermostatically controlled switch 28 is in the position as shown in Figure 2, current will not flow to the solenoid 3B in that the solenoid and starter motor circuit is open. However, when the ignition switch is closed, current may flow through the line 22, the switch 28 and into the inverted converter or inverter for a purpose to be described subsequently. At this time, if the starter switch 44 were closed, no current would flow from the battery l4 in that the contacts 42 and 35 have no arms of the switch 28 bridging them. But, when the switch 28 is opened, as by the thermostat schematically shown therein, the members of the switch bridging the contacts 46 and 26 will no longer bridge them, but the appropriate arms will bridge the contacts 42 and 36, thereby permitting current to flow from the battery into the solenoid 30 responsive to operation of the starter switch 44. This causes the starter motor 32 to operate. At this time, however, the current cannot flow through the line 48 in that the appropriate contacts 25 and 46 of the switch 28 are opened.

Referring now to Figure 1, an oil heater 60 is shown as suitably fixed to the side of the engine adjacent the crankcase. It has a fluid conductor 62 extending from one end thereof. A short length of pipe or conduit 64 extends from the other end. The said short length of conduit or pipe 64 connects with the outlet side of the pump 66 which is preferably of the gear type. Included in the same housing as the pump 66 is a motor 68 (Figure 2) for operation thereof, or, this motor may be remote from the case but driven by a suitable shaft or shafting arrangement. An inlet line 10 for the gear pump is provided, having connection with the lower part of the oil pan, whereas the line 62 connects with the upper part of the oil pan or the engine block. It appears to be more practical for installation purposes to have the line 62 terminate in the upper part of the oil pan. However, it is desired to have the heated oil enter the crankcase as high as possible and it is intended to receive the cool oil from the crankcase at the lowermost portion practically possible.

The lifting of the oil from the lower part of the crankcase is of importance in that the thermostat type switch 28 is interposed in the line 15 so that it operates in response to the temperature of the oil coming from the crankcase and from the lower part thereof, the heated, lighter oil remaining on top after it enters the line 62.

A cradle 16 is fixed by means of suitable brackets 18 to an appropriate part of the side of the engine and below the manifold l2. Disposed in the cradle 16 is a heating element 83. This heating element is adapted to heat the mamfold i2 at the same time that the crankcase oil is being heated. The shape of the cradle is of importance in that, since it is U-shaped (Figure 3), it acts as a heat baffle directing the heat to the under surface of the manifold l2.

There is a thermostat 8d disposed adjacent the manifold which is used for the purpose of preventing current from flowing to the heating element 8%] after the manifold has been heated sufiiciently.

Referring now again to Figure 2 and to Figure 4, it will be seen that when the inverted converter 50 is allowed to operate as previously described, the D. C. from the battery I4 is used for causing an output of A. C. flowing through the line 83, the signal lamp 9B which may be mounted on the dashboard in order to feed the bus bar 92 having appropriate terminals 94 and 96. The terminal 94 has a line Hi extending therefrom with a manually operable control switch m2 therein. Accordingly, when current is supplied by the inverted converter, it passes through the thermostat 85 which is responsive to the heat content of the manifold to the heater 80. The heater 8%] may be rendered inoperative by the manual switch H2 or may be rendered inoperative at such time that the heat content of the manifold increases so as to open the thermostat 8 Connected to the terminal 98 is a line H38 having the oil pump motor 68 therein. This line has the heater 60 therein and consists of a housing H2 fixed appropriately to the side of the engine or the pan, if found desirable, and having a heating element H6 therein with a coil I M extending around the heater. This coil is formed of a suitable length of tubing having the inlet line H3 and the length of pipe 64 connected at opposite ends thereof.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a vehicle having a source of current a circuit with a starter switch, and a crankcase, an attachment for heating the oil in the crankcase comprising a heater with a pump connected therewith and the crankcase, a motor drivingly connected with said pump, means including electrical conductors connecting said heater and said motor with the current source, and means including a thermostatic switch responsive to crankcase oil heat selectively opening the circuit with the motor and heater while closing the circuit having the starter switch therein.

2. In a vehicle having a source of current, a. circuit with a starter switch therein, an engine manifold, and a crankcase, an attachment for heating the oil in the crankcase and for heating the manifold comprising an oil heater with a pump connected therewith and a motor for driving the pump, a manifold heater disposed below the manifold, means including electrical conductors connecting said heaters and the motor for operating said oil heater with the current source of the vehicle, and means including a thermostatic switch responsive to crankcase oil heat for selectively opening the starter circuit while the heaters and motor circuit is closed and for selectively closing the starter circuit so as to render operation of the starter effectual for actuation of the starter motor of the vehicle and opening the circuit having the heaters and the oil heater motor therein.

3. An attachment for a vehicle comprising a thermostatically responsive switch arranged as to be responsive to the heat content of the crankcase oil of the vehicle, a first circuit including a starter switch and starter motor of the vehicle connected with a part of said thermostatically responsive switch and a second circuit also connected with said thermostatically responsive switch and arranged to be closed when said first circuit is open, said second circuit including a heater operatively connected with the engine of the vehicle so as to heat the oil in the crankcase thereof.

4. An attachment for a vehicle comprising a thermostatically responsive switch arranged as to be responsive to the heat content of the crankcase oil of the vehicle, a first circuit includ ing a starter switch and starter motor of the vehicle connected with a part of said thermostatically responsive switch and a second circuit aLso connected with said thermostatically responsive switch and arranged to be closed when said first circuit is open, said second circuit ineluding a heater operatively connected with the engine of the vehicle so as to heat the oil in the crankcase thereof, and said second circuit having a manifold heating device therein, and an inverted converter in said second circuit so as to feed alternating current to said heaters.

CLARENCE T.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

